1
pay a ransom (for sb)
常用搭配 pay a ransom，强调为赎回某人而付款。
The family paid a huge ransom for her release.
这家人为她的获释支付了巨额赎金。
赎金
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
赎金
Money paid or demanded for the release of a captured person.
The family paid a huge ransom for her release.
这家人为她的获释支付了巨额赎金。
为释放人质而支付的金钱
Money paid for the freeing of a hostage.
为赎回被俘人员而索取的款项
money demanded for the return of a captured person
以支付代价为条件释放俘虏或归还被扣押的财产
The release of a captive, or of captured property, by payment of a consideration.
为释放某人而支付的款项
payment for the release of someone
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of one million dollars for the safe return of the child.
绑架者要求支付一百万美元赎金，以确保孩子安全归来。
The family paid the ransom and their father was released the next morning.
那家人支付了赎金，第二天早上他们的父亲就被释放了。
The police recovered the ransom and arrested the suspects before they could spend it.
警方找回了赎金，并在嫌疑人花掉之前逮捕了他们。
常用搭配 pay a ransom，强调为赎回某人而付款。
The family paid a huge ransom for her release.
这家人为她的获释支付了巨额赎金。
表示赎金数额时常用 of 短语。
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of one million dollars.
绑匪要求一百万美元的赎金。
这个短语也常用于比喻意义，如 hold a company for ransom。
The rebels held the tourists for ransom.
叛军扣押游客勒索赎金。
Not this
The family paid ransom to free their son.
Use this
The family paid a ransom to free their son.
这里的 ransom 指具体的一笔赎金，是可数名词，前面需要加不定冠词 a；汉语“付赎金”没有冠词，但英语中不能说 pay ransom。
Not this
They paid a ransom for the kidnappers to release the hostage.
Use this
They paid a ransom to the kidnappers to release the hostage.
pay a ransom to someone 表示把钱付给“接收者”（绑匪），而 for 后面接的是“被赎回的人或物”（如 the hostage）。说 for the kidnappers 会让人误解为替绑匪付钱或为绑匪的利益付钱。
Not this
The criminals held the manager as ransom.
Use this
The criminals held the manager for ransom.
固定搭配是 hold someone for ransom，表示“扣押某人以索取赎金”。用 as 会错误地表示“把经理当作赎金本身”，而不是“作为人质来换取赎金”。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
支付赎金
The family paid a ransom to secure the boy's release.
这家人支付了赎金以确保男孩获释。
索取赎金
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of one million dollars.
绑匪索要一百万美元的赎金。
勒索信
Police found a ransom note on the kitchen table.
警方在厨房桌上发现了一封勒索信。
扣押某人以索取赎金
The rebels held the tourists to ransom for weeks.
叛军将游客扣押了数周以索取赎金。
赎金支付
The ransom payment was delivered as instructed.
赎金已按指示送达。
巨额款项，一大笔钱
She paid a king's ransom for that handbag.
她花了一笔巨款买那个手袋。
勒索；要挟某人
The unions have threatened to hold the government to ransom.
工会威胁要挟政府，迫使它满足要求。
如果你想索取赎金，那么我告诉你，我没有钱。但我有一项非常特殊的技能。
This line comes from the 2008 film 'Taken'. The protagonist says it to the kidnappers of his daughter on the phone, warning them that he will use his special skills to track them down.
这句话出自2008年的电影《飓风营救》。主角在电话中对绑架他女儿的人说这句话，警告他们他会用自己的特殊技能找到他们。
因为连人子来，也不是要受人服事，乃是要服事人，并且要舍命，作多人的赎价。
This is a well-known verse from the Bible (Mark 10:45). Jesus speaks about his mission to give his life as a ransom to free many people from sin.
这是《圣经》中著名的一节经文（马可福音10:45）。耶稣讲到他的使命是要舍命作多人的赎价，使许多人从罪中得释放。
Use ransom naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
绑匪喊‘快run（跑）去凑钱’，ransom音近ran-som，想起‘赎金’到手才放人。
语域：neutral 常见场景：新闻报道、法律/犯罪语境、历史叙述 这个词通常用于正式或书面语境，多出现在新闻报道、法律或犯罪相关的讨论中，日常口语中比较少见。
Handsome is a perfect rhyme with ransom, both ending in /ænsəm/. Other words ending in '-some' such as gruesome, awesome, tiresome, fulsome have different stressed vowels and do not rhyme. Random looks similar but has a /d/ sound instead of /s/ in the ending.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.